Blackout

CHAPTER 36

Deep shadows still clothed the eastern side of the fjord as the DeHavilland Beaver flew down the right side of Lake Chelan at 500 feet above the water. Kat sat in the copilot’s seat and watched the beauty of the landscape as it passed, changing from alpine slopes to arid hills toward the south end. Her thoughts reverted to the cabin, and the unexpectedly emotional departure.

She had decided to approach it as a matter-of-fact exercise of logic under fire: They were all targets who should remain hidden, while she went off trying to find the answers that could make them safe.

But as she briefed them in front of the fire at 7 A.M., the grim and apprehensive looks on every face set off a crushing flash of hopelessness, as if she were kidding herself to think she could guarantee their safety.

“Look, a few days of safe haven can make all the difference,” she said.

“Could they track us here, Kat?” Dan asked. “Tell us the truth.”

She sighed and pursed her lips. “It’s unlikely. It would take an incredible amount of digging to even connect me to this place, let alone assume we’re here. I’m going to use a cash machine in Seattle today on the way out, and that will further confuse the speculation on where I’m hiding you.”

“But they could still get a lucky break. That pilot could talk. They could find the van,” Dan continued.

She fought the urge to spout unrealistic assurances. The five people before her had been through too much to be fed anything but the unvarnished truth.

A wisp of fragrant wood smoke from the fire diverted her thoughts for a second as she searched for a way to spare them the realities of the dangers they still faced.

“Yes, they could get lucky and find you, or me. We know they’re murderers with zero remorse or compassion, and we’ve gotten in the way of some plan. But that’s why I want you to stay in the cabin and out of sight. Dallas, I want you to drive me to the dock, and I’m going to leave a note for the caretaker so he won’t come by. I’ve shown you the guns and ammunition here, so you’re not defenseless.”

“What if someone comes claiming to be an FBI agent, Kat?” Steve asked.

She shook her head. “I… can’t give you a guarantee. I mean, you can’t just shoot anyone who shows up, but… first rule is to keep the shades and curtains drawn and do not answer the door under any circumstances. If someone does come poking around, split up. Someone go for the phone down by the dock and call me on the satellite phone. Steve, that’s you. Dallas, you greet them if they come in, and Graham and Robert can cover you from the back rooms with the guns.”

“We’ll work out a plan,” Dallas said, her demeanor subdued.

“But,” Kat continued, “if they flash FBI credentials, get names, ask them to come back in an hour, and meantime get to the dock phone and call me.”

“That’s pretty weak, Kat,” Dan said.

“I know it, but it’s the best we can do.”

“I called my mother,” Steve said without warning.

There was stunned silence in the room.

“When, Steve?” Kat asked quietly.

“I’m sorry if I messed up, but I couldn’t stand her crying over me and all.”

“When and where did you call, Steve, and what did you tell her?” Kat asked, working hard to control the panic she felt.

“From that grocery store in Seattle. While you all were buying food.”

“Damn, boy!” Dallas said, rolling her eyes. “What’d you tell her?”

“Nothing about where we were going. Honest. I said I was okay and with an FBI woman, but I couldn’t come home for a while because people were chasing us.”

“Did you give names, Steve?” Kat asked.

“Yeah. Yours. I’m sorry.”

“But you did not say anything about heading for a lake, or a mountain cabin, or Chelan, or Stehekin? You’ve got to level with us, Steve.”

He was shaking his head vigorously. “No. I didn’t say anything about that. She wanted me to tell her, but I said I couldn’t.”

Kat sat frozen for a few seconds before nodding. “Probably no harm done. But please, whatever you do, all of you, do not try to phone any friends or relatives from that phone near the dock. It will be traced back here in a heartbeat.”

“We all have lives, Kat,” Dallas said. “I’ve got a few people to reassure, too.”

“I don’t,” Graham said with no expression in his voice.

Kat raised her hand. “I know we—you’ve got friends and family who may think you’re dead. If you’re really worried, give me names and phone numbers and I’ll call them from a safe distance.”

“Do you really think you can solve all this?” Dan asked quietly.

“Maybe,” she said. “Depending on what Walter Carnegie left us. At least I can arrange to bring all of us in safely where those goons can’t touch us.”

“Provided they don’t get you.”

“There’s always that chance.” She took another deep breath as she studied her shoes and listened to the crackling of the freshly stoked fire. “Look, if I don’t come back within five days”—she raised her head and looked at them one by one—“take the ferry to Chelan together, rent a car or take a bus to Spokane, go to the FBI office there, and tell them everything you know.”

Dan had hugged her unexpectedly at the door, the hug becoming a clench as he broke down and cried. His broad shoulders shook as he tried to speak. “Thank you… for all you’ve done to end this nightmare, Kat. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start bawling like a kid.”

Kat hugged him back, patting his arm as Dallas massaged his shoulder. “It’s okay, Dan. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah,” he acknowledged, the tears still flowing from under the bandages on his eyes. He pulled away at last, though reluctantly.

Graham Tash had tried to shake her hand, but that evolved into tears and another clinging hug, followed by a tentative hug from Steve Delaney.

Robert was waiting by the door, afraid to hug her but determined not to part with the cold detachment of a handshake. Kat put her arms around him for a quick hug, feeling as awkward as he.

“So,” she said with a forced smile as she zipped one of the parkas she’d found in the closet. “Ready, Dallas?”

The DeHavilland Beaver had just arrived when Kat stepped out of the beat-up old Dodge and waved a quick good-bye to Dallas, who got out to give her a sisterly hug. “Stay safe, girl, and get back here,” Dallas said.

Kat greeted the pilot and handed him her ubiquitous roll-on bag before negotiating the small ladder. The lines were cast off and the engine started when something landed on the rear of the right pontoon.

“What the hell?” the pilot muttered, trying to look out to the right. “See anything back there?” he asked Kat.

“Someone’s on the float. I can’t see…”

The right rear passenger door was flung open, and the interloper threw a small duffel bag on the seat before hauling himself in and turning with a grin toward Kat.

“Robert! What…?”

“Remember what we talked about last night? Teamwork?”

“You’re supposed to stay back there and watch the others,” Kat said, consternation competing with surprise in her voice.

“Dallas is a force of nature. She can handle it alone. I think she could take Saddam and the Republican Guard single-handedly.”

The pilot had throttled back to idle, but the Beaver still drifted slowly toward the middle of the upper bay. The fragrance of the lake mixed with the scent of pine trees as the water lapped gently at the floats. He looked over his shoulder, waiting for the two of them to resolve it.

“Robert, dammit…”

“Want me to leave?”

“I work alone.”

“Not what you indicated yesterday.”

“This could be dangerous, for God’s sake!”

“I’m the one who ended up in a crash and running through the jungle, evading cutthroats. Besides, I need to get shot at at least once a year to reclaim my combat reporting credentials. It’s a currency requirement.”

Kat was shaking her head. “No. I’m responsible for—”

“Not for me, you’re not! We may decide to be responsible for each other as a team, but don’t forget, I’m a damn good investigative reporter. I know how to look under rugs, I’ve got extensive contacts, too, and you’re going to need all that kind of help you can get. And this is too good a story, and I’m in the middle of it. It’s unreasonable to ask a reporter to sit on his tail in a beautiful setting where he might actually enjoy himself, thus pissing off his editor and imperiling his job. Now. Still want me to go back and baby-sit?”

She looked at the floorboards and shook her head again before meeting his eyes. “Yes… no. All right. You’re deputized.”

“Now you have that power?” he asked.

“Not really,” Kat said and looked at the pilot. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”